Content area

Abstract

This doctoral thesis studies the life and writings of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim, a 10th century Saxon canoness within the Ottonian Empire. Hrotsvit's decision to write, and thus enter the male-dominated literary realm, places her within a unique category. This canoness' writings explore her perceptions of the worth of the Christian female in subjectivity and voice. Although her stated purpose for her dramas was to compete with the Roman poet, Terence, she also sought to provide female characters with strengths and choices not given to other female characters in either the Classical or medieval tradition. This project aims to study Hrotsvit's six dramas, as compared with Terence's six plays, in terms of the canoness' interplay with thematic inversion and subversion. This paper will delve into Hrotsvit's background in order to hypothesize as to her ambitions and goals. It will also analyze the canoness' forms of inversion and subversion within both writers' prologues, focusing on the humility topos as understood in Classical times and medieval times. This thesis also will study the themes of female subjectivity and voice within the literary structures of disguise, marriage, and parental figures. Lastly, this dissertation will analyze the themes of female subjectivity and voice within Hrotsvit's dramas as compared to the hagiographical sources she used as her source material, in order to posit that the canoness not only openly challenged Terence, but also obliquely challenged the representation of women from the hagiographical literature.

Details

Title
Voice in the dramas of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim
Author
Bonds, Tara A.
Year
2014
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
ISBN
978-1-321-54604-0
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1656168262
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.